Mark Erelli
Encyclopedia
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer/songwriter from Reading, Massachusetts
Reading, Massachusetts
Reading is an affluent town situated in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, some north of central Boston. The population was 24,747 at the 2010 census.-Settlement and Independence:...
. He currently resides in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Erelli is a 1996 graduate of Bates College
Bates College
Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...
, where he majored in Biology, and holds a Master's Degree in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
(UMass).
Erelli was discovered in 1997 by Mark Thayer of Signature Sounds at the Northeastern Regional Folk Alliance Conference after an artist pulled Mark into a Signature Sounds open jam.
His album, Delivered, is a new venture with producer Zack Hickman, who is best known for his bass work in Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.- Early life :Josh...
's band. It features a number of different sounds from previous albums, both instrumental (Hammond B3 and a horn section) and levels ("Shadowland"), but still showcases Erelli's expert songwriting. Most notably are "Not Alone" and "Man of the Family."
His album, Hope & Other Casualties, is a collection of folk and Americana songs with stylistic arrangements, including "The Only Way", written in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
and covered by Ellis Paul
Ellis Paul
Ellis Paul is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, provocative and urbanely romantic folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s...
and Vance Gilbert
Vance Gilbert
Vance Gilbert is an American folk singer/songwriter. He started out as a jazz singer, then switched to folk music, performing on the open mike circuit in Boston. His career took off when he toured with Shawn Colvin. He has recorded eight albums, including Side of the Road, a duo album with friend...
.
Hope & Other Casualties was selected as the 2006 Album of the Year by the staff and members of WUMB Boston Folk Radio. Also in 2006 he co-wrote a song inspired by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
with Catie Curits called "People Look Around," which would win the Grand Prize of the International Songwriting Contest.
On Compass & Companion, Erelli partnered with Kelly Willis
Kelly Willis
Kelly Willis is an American country music singer-songwriter, whose music has been described as contemporary country, alternative country and new traditionalist.-Early life:...
for the title song.
He regularly tours in support of Kris Delmhorst
Kris Delmhorst
Kris Delmhorst is an American singer-songwriter who is part of the Boston folk scene. She was involved in producing 1998's Respond compilation, a fundraiser for domestic violence groups, and it included her song Weatherman. In 1999, she released a live album with The Vinal Avenue String Band,...
, Lori McKenna
Lori McKenna
Lori McKenna is an American folk singer/songwriter. She lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with her husband and five children.-Early work:...
and Catie Curtis
Catie Curtis
Catie Curtis is an American singer-songwriter. Her music has been categorized in several genres, including pop, rock, alternative country, indie and folk. She has recorded 11 CDs. The most recent, Stretch Limousine On Fire, will be released in August 2011 on Compass Records.-Early life:Catie...
, playing acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, and lap steel. In June 2007 he toured through the US and Canada supporting Lori McKenna
Lori McKenna
Lori McKenna is an American folk singer/songwriter. She lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts with her husband and five children.-Early work:...
on guitar, mandolin and backing vocals during the Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
& Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
Soul2Soul 2007 tour.
Erelli has worked with producer Lorne Entress
Lorne Entress
Lorne Entress is an American drummer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer currently living in Glastonbury, Connecticut.Entress has worked with a wide range of artists in folk, blues and jazz styles. Perhaps the artist with whom he has worked with most closely is singer-songwriter Mark Erelli...
and co-produced Hillbilly Pilgrim and Hope & Other Casualties.
His work was featured in the winter of 2009 in the Reading Memorial High School's Drama Club's production of The Laramie Project. He graduated from RMHS in 1992.
In March 2009 Mark took part in the Darwin Song Project
Darwin Song Project
Darwin Song Project is a compilation album, released on September 7, 2009. It features folk artists from the UK and North America, who were tasked with the creation of new songs that had a "resonance and relevance to Charles Darwin". The artists gathered together for 7 days in a farmhouse in...
, a multi-artist songrwriting retreat organised by the Shrewsbury Folk Festival
Shrewsbury Folk Festival
Shrewsbury Folk Festival is an annual festival of folk and world music and traditional dance held in the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England....
to create songs that had a 'resonance and relevance' to Darwin. A CD was released in August 2009
Discography
- Mark Erelli (1999)
- Compass & Companion (2001)
- The Memorial Hall Recordings (2002)
- Hillbilly Pilgrim (2004)
- Hope & Other Casualties (2006)
- Innocent When You Dream (2006)
- Delivered (2008)
- Little Vigils (2010)
- Seven Curses (2010) - with Jeffrey FoucaultJeffrey FoucaultJeffrey Foucault is a singer-songwriter from Whitewater, Wisconsin. His 2001 debut album, Miles from the Lightning, won much praise from critics and helped to kick-start a career of tours across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Along the way, he has played with such artists as Greg Brown,...